The Labor enquirer., 1887-09-17

Of he birth q ~ slhiks1 of his country. =
. visv ths sitaatiou q public affairs and
edvise proper sction. 4 general discon-
tent prsvails on The part Of the wealth
producers. Farmers aro suffering from
. poverty which has forced most of them
70 mortgage their estates, and prices OF
produce are 20 low % TO offer no relief
except through bankruptcy. Laborers
are sinking into greater and greater de-
pendence. Strikes are resorted to With
ont relief, because Of the inability of en-
ployers in many cases to pay living wages,
while moro and more are driven into the
streets. Business men find collections al
most impossible, meantime hundreds of
millions Of idle public money which is
needed for relief is locked up in the
United States treasury in grim mockery
Of the distress; land monopoly fourishes
as never known before, and more and
more owners of the soil are daily becom-
ing tenants. Great transportation corpo-
rations still succeed in extorting their
profits upon watered stock through unjust
charges. The United States senate has
become an open scandal, its seats being
purchased by the rich in open defiance Of
the popular will. triAing fisheries dis
pute is seized upon as an excuse for nee
essary military preparations which are
designed to breed q spirit of war, to ape
European desp0tisns, and to empty the
treasury without paying the public debt.
Under these and other alarming condi-
tions we appeal 70 the people of the
whole country to come out of the old
party organizations, where indifference
to the public welfare is responsible for
this distress, and help us to organize a
new political party, not sectional but ma
tiOnal, whose members shall be called
commoners, whose object shall be to re-
peal all class laws in favor of the rich, and
to relieve the distress of our industries
by establishing the following principles:
1. Land-Every human being possesses
a natural inalienable right to sufficient
land for self support, and we desire to Sc
cure to ever industrious citizen home as
the highest result of free institutions. To
this end we desire graduated land tax
on all land estates, especially those held
for speculative or tenant purpose; the re-
claimation of all unearned land grants;
the immediate opening of Oklahoma to
homestead settlement; the purchase of
all unoccupied Indian lands, and the set
tlement of the various tribes in severalty;
also laws preventing corporations from
acquiring real estate beyond the requir-
ments of their business, and alien owner
ship of land. The system of irrigation,
in states and territories where necessary,
shall be under such public control as shall
secure the free and equitable use of the
waters and franchises to the people.
2. Transportation means of com
munication or transportation should be
controlled by the people, as is the United
States postal system, and equitable rates
everywhere established.
8. Money-The establishment of ma
tional monetary system in the interest of
the producer instead Of the speculator
and usurer by which circulating medium
in necessary quantity and full legal ten
der, shall be issued directly to the peo-
pie, without the intervention of banks, or
loaned to citizens upon ample security at
low rate of interest to relieve them from
the extortions of usury and enable them
to control the money supply. Postal saw
ings banks should be established, While
we have free coinage of gold, we should
have free coinage of silver. We demand
the prompt payment of the national debt,
and condemn the further issue of interest
bearing bonds, either by the national gov
ernment, or by states, territories, counties
or municipalities.
4. decentralization should take the
place of strikes and other injurious meth
DDS of settling labor disputes; the letting of
convict labor to contractors be prohibited;
the contract system be abolished in pub
lie works; the hours of labor in industrial
establishments be reduced commensurate
with the increase of production in labor
saving machinery; employees to be pro-
tected from bodily injury; equal pay be-
ing given for equal work for both sexes,
and labor, agricultural and cooperative
associations be favored and incorporated
by law. The foundation of republic is
the intelligence of its citizens, and chill
dren who are driven into workshops,
mines and factories are deprived of edu-
cation which should be secured by proper
legislation. We desire to see labor organ
izations extend throughout all civilized
countries, until it shall be impossible for
despots to array the workingmen of one
country in war against their brothers of
another country.
8. Soldie and Sailors-In apprecia-
tion of the services of United States SOL
diers and sailors we demand for them JUS
tice before charity. The purposely de-
preciated money paid them during the
war should be made equal in value to the
gold paid the bondholder. The soldier
was promised gold or its equivalent and
was paid in deprecated paper. The bond
holder loaned the government deprecated
paper and contracted to take it back, but
was paid in gold.
6. Income Taxa graduated income
is the most equitable system of taxation,
II. L. nf